Bernie Sanders - 'When You're White You Don't Know What It's Like To Be Poor'

Tell that to my parents or my wife's parents Mr. Sanders. My Mum grew up in farm shacks basically during the depression and war years in hovels that often had dirt floors. My wife's dad didn't have shoes and had to shoot rabbits to provide food for the family in the fifties in Australia because there was no money. He went barefoot everywhere. My grandmother's family in Sydney were so poor that sometimes all they had to eat for dinner was sugar cubes dipped in tea. Things may be much different for us now but these bad times changed us and made us think about the future. Poverty has no boundaries. When I started work in the city I had a grand total of $80 to my name and the old guys named me Huck Finn because I walked into work barefoot. Oh well. I thought that Bernie was great but I now think he is an idiot and I am glad I don't vote in your elections. Best wishes and good luck guys!

a reply to: Konduit

Considering Bernie Sanders did not pull down a single payroll check until he was 40 and elected the Governor of Burlington VT. Im unsure what skin color he thinks he has?

What a lunatic

When you're a politician, you don't know what its like to be an American.

It shows how out of touch even a lefties politician is with the real world.

The only poor people he ever meets are bringing a bottle of fizz to his table or holding a door open for him.

The only white people he knows are similar, over priveliged rich ones.

LOL I'm with Kali. Of course opponents are going to jump on this like flies on # but those with enough grey matter between their ears knew what he was saying.

Jesus lol He makes one slip-up explaining something that even THE MSM gave him a pass on and for people on ATS its the equivalent of the teacher saying "butt" in third grade. "Omg you guise. He said butt!!"

He wiped the floor with Hillary in that debate. Michigan is going to be amazing.

a reply to: Malynn

You really think all that was just a slip-up? Honestly I wish it was.

I hate to say it but for some reason, compared to Clinton, Sanders is being killed when it comes to Latino and African-American voters.

This is obviously pandering to the minorities by pulling out the "white privilege" card, and I think it will hurt him in the long run.

a reply to: Malynn

Agreed. His whole point was about institutional racism, not that white people have never suffered being poor. Context people!

I find it humorous that Trump can say things like "Mexico is sending us all their rapists and murderers", and his supporters defend it by saying we are taking it out of context, but when Bernie says something, context goes out the win-dow.

a reply to: Konduit

Except Sanders has ALWAYS fought for minorities' rights. Since back in the 60's. He's not just pandering for votes.

a reply to: Konduit

Bernie's right... kinda sorta... in that institutionalized racism had profound effects on the Black population, with long-term negative effects, that White people were not subject to -- but we're all still feeling the effects today.

Under color of laws such as the Jim Crow laws that mandated separate facilities and other forms of segregation in schools and businesses, as well as housing laws that concentrated Black people in substandard housing (known today as the "inner cities" and federal housing) with substandard schools and educational opportunities... all of which has had long-lasting effects. It's not a coincidence that those neighborhoods are known for the highest poverty rates, the highest crime rates AND the highest levels of lead poisoning...

Nor is it a coincidence today that color of law and government regulation and interference is driving a once thriving and vibrant middle class into poverty. The masters learned their lessons well, and have simply expanded their repressive and oppressive policies to every race, creed and color. I've come to believe that the ultimate purpose of the "White Privilege" meme is to bring us all down to the bottom -- rather than to rightly raise all of us to the top.

Bernie is right as far as he goes... but that's not the whole story.

Black poverty and White poverty and purple-polka-dot poverty have their similarities and their differences, in large part based on the government regulation and interference.

"When your White, you don't know what it's like to live in the ghetto. You don't know what it's like to be poor. You don't know what it's like to be hassled when you walk down the street or get dragged out of a car."

I don't know how such a statement could be taken out of context. If you watch the debate and hear the moment he makes this statement, you know exactly what he means... "vote for me because White Privilege".

He sounded like a professor from a Liberal Arts college trying to shame his students. Disappointing.

Sanders is a mummy he needs to crawl into his sarcophagus before he turns into dust

That is all he is, dust in the wind.

a reply to: Konduit

I did watch the whole debate. And it was obvious what he was talking about. But hey you weren't voting for him anyway so you're welcome to misconstrue it all you want. Rational people understand you can't always explain things exactly the right way. Slip ups occur. Thankfully for My man Bernie it doesn't happen often.

Isn't Bernie a white boy?
Is he saying he doesn't understand the poor?

originally posted by: kaylaluv
a reply to: Malynn

Agreed. His whole point was about institutional racism, not that white people have never suffered being poor. Context people!

I find it humorous that Trump can say things like "Mexico is sending us all their rapists and murderers", and his supporters defend it by saying we are taking it out of context, but when Bernie says something, context goes out the win-dow.

I know, that sucks don't it, when people just plain don't listen to what is said.

What does racism have to do with being poor, anyway?

Poor white people are racists?

Help us out here.

a reply to: Konduit

White guy here. we grew up so poor my mom would have us steal toilet paper from public bathrooms. We got sleep for dinner. and on Christmas morning if I did not have a boner I didnt have anything to play with.

originally posted by: IAMTAT
Isn't Bernie a white boy?
Is he saying he doesn't understand the poor?

I am a woman who has never been raped. I don't know what it's like to be raped. That doesn't mean I can't understand that rape is a real problem that must be addressed.

a reply to: burgerbuddy

He is talking about generational poverty among a group who has suffered systematic racism for a couple of hundred years (in this country).

Whites as a whole have not suffered generational poverty, or faced systematic racism throughout the history of this country.

a reply to: Konduit

What a dummy!!!

originally posted by: kaylaluv
a reply to: burgerbuddy

He is talking about generational poverty among a group who has suffered systematic racism for a couple of hundred years (in this country).

Whites as a whole have not suffered generational poverty, or faced systematic racism throughout the history of this country.

Off the top of my white head I can name more black millionaires then white ones. So this generational poverty thing is bs.

Poor is poor., hungry is hungry, no matter what color you are.

I have Irish ancestry which as you may know has a history oppression and generational poverty going all the way back to the very beginning of this country and last time I checked Irish are about as white as they come. Just about every ethnicity at some point somewhere in their history has faced some sort of oppression and adversity from some other group. However not everyone chooses to whine and complain about it centuries later.

a reply to: kaylaluv